Choral Evensong
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Choral Evensong with the Installation of the Venerable Jenny Rowley as Archdeacon of Portsdown, the Reverend Judith Bee as Honorary Canon, Adrian Jordan as Lay Canon, and the Venerable Martyn Gough QHC RN and the Reverend David Lindsay as Canons of Honour The Second Sunday of Advent 6 December 2020 1730 Thank you for joining us in worship. You are in our prayers – and please pray for all those to whom we minister as a Cathedral. Acknowledgements The Book of Common Prayer, from which this order of service is taken, is copyright © The Crown/Cambridge University Press. The scripture readings from the New Revised Standard Version are copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA. Reproduction of the hymns falls under the provision of the Cathedral copyright licence number 160035 and Calamus licence 1252. 1 Please stand as the Choir sings the hymn. Hark what a sound, and too divine for hearing, stirs on the earth and trembles in the air! Is it the thunder of the Lord’s appearing? Is it the music of his people’s prayer? Surely he cometh, and a thousand voices shout to the saints, and to the deaf and dumb; surely he cometh and the earth rejoices, glad in his coming who hath sworn: I come! This hath he done, and shall we not adore him? This shall he do, and can we still despair? come, let us quickly fling ourselves before him, cast at his feet the burden of our care. Yea through life, death, through sorrow and through sinning, he shall suffice me, for he hath sufficed: Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning, Christ the beginning, for the end is Christ. Words: Frederic W. H. Meyers (1843-1901) Tune: HIGHWOOD The Bishop welcomes the congregation and introduces the service. The Bishop invites the congregation to pray for the Archdeacon and new Canons: All Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified, hear our prayer which we offer for Jenny, Judith, Adrian, Martyn, David and for all your faithful people; that in their vocation and ministry each may serve you in holiness and truth, to the glory of your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The congregation sits. 2 THE COLLATION The Dean invites the Canons-designate to stand before the Bishop. Bishop Christopher, we are pleased to welcome the Reverend Judith Bee who has been appointed as an Honorary Canon; and Adrian Jordan who has been appointed as a Lay Canon of this Cathedral Church and who have taken and subscribed the oaths and declarations required by law. We ask that they may now be collated and installed. Also we are pleased to welcome the Venerable Martyn Gough and the Reverend David Lindsay, who have been appointed as Canons of Honour of this Cathedral Church, asking that they may now be installed. The Bishop reads the Deeds of Appointment. The Bishop then says Receive our authority for office in this Cathedral Church of Portsmouth, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. All Amen. The Bishop blesses the new Canons. The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. All Amen. The new Canons return to their seats in the Nave as the Installation will take place later in the service. The office of Evensong continues. The Choir sing the PRECES to the setting by Herbert Sumsion (1899-1995). 3 O Lord, open thou our lips Choir and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise. O God, make speed to save us. Choir O Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; Choir As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Praise ye the Lord. Choir The Lord’s name be praised. Please sit as the Choir sings the Psalm appointed. PSALM 40 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart: my talk hath been of thy truth, and of thy salvation. I have not kept back thy loving mercy and truth: from the great congregation. Withdraw not thou thy mercy from me, O Lord: let thy loving-kindness and thy truth alway preserve me. For innumerable troubles are come about me; my sins have taken such hold upon me that I am not able to look up: yea, they are more in number than the hairs of my head, and my heart hath failed me. O Lord, let it be thy pleasure to deliver me: make haste, O Lord, to help me. Let them be ashamed, and confounded together, that seek after my soul to destroy it: let them be driven backward, and put to rebuke, that wish me evil. Let them be desolate, and rewarded with shame: that say unto me, Fie upon thee, fie upon thee. Let all those that seek thee be joyful and glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say alway, The Lord be praised. As for me, I am poor and needy: but the Lord careth for me. Thou art my helper and redeemer: make no long tarrying, O my God. Stand. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be; world without end. Amen. 4 Sit. OLD TESTAMENT READING read by Canon Bob White, Honorary Canon The first Book of Kings, the twenty-second chapter, beginning at the first verse. For three years Aram and Israel continued without war. But in the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to the king of Israel. The king of Israel said to his servants, ‘Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, yet we are doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?’ He said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?’ Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, ‘I am as you are; my people are your people, my horses are your horses.’ But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘Inquire first for the word of the Lord.’ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred of them, and said to them, ‘Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?’ They said, ‘Go up; for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.’ But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there no other prophet of the Lord here of whom we may inquire?’ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one other by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything favourable about me, but only disaster.’ Jehoshaphat said, ‘Let the king not say such a thing.’ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, ‘Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah.’ Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing-floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and he said, ‘Thus says the Lord: With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ All the prophets were prophesying the same and saying, ‘Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.’ The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Look, the words of the prophets with one accord are favourable to the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favourably.’ But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.’ When he had come to the king, the king said to him, ‘Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?’ He answered him, ‘Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.’ But the king said to him, ‘How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?’ 5 Then Micaiah said, ‘I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd; and the Lord said, “These have no master; let each one go home in peace.”’ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything favourable about me, but only disaster?’ Then Micaiah said, ‘Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven standing beside him to the right and to the left of him. And the Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?” Then one said one thing, and another said another, until a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, “I will entice him.” “How?” the Lord asked him. He replied, “I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” Then the Lord said, “You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do it.” So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has decreed disaster for you.’ Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up to Micaiah, slapped him on the cheek, and said, ‘Which way did the spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?’ Micaiah replied, ‘You will find out on that day when you go in to hide in an inner chamber.’ The king of Israel then ordered, ‘Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and say, “Thus says the king: Put this fellow in prison, and feed him on reduced rations of bread and water until I come in peace.”’ Micaiah said, ‘If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.’ And he said, ‘Hear, you peoples, all of you!’ (22.1-28) All stand as the Choir sings the Song of Mary.